David and Sara Kirke live in a time of upheaval under the reign of King Charles I who gives, then takes. He gives David the nod of approval to range up and down the French Canadian shores, burning colonies and pillaging ships that are loaded with goods meant for the French. When Louis XIII of France shouts his outrage, King Charles reneges. He takes David’s prizes and returns them to the French, putting David and his family in dire straits.

Undeterred, David and Sara will not be denied. After years, the king relents. He knights David and gives him a grant for the whole of Newfoundland and Labrador. There David and Sara build a prosperous plantation. They trade fish and fish oil with colonies down the American coast, Barbados and ports of call in the Mediterranean. They thrive while England is torn in two by the civil wars.

Soon, these troubles engulf his family. David is carried in chains back to England to stand trial for being a malignant, a follower of Laud's high church. He entreats Sara to manage the Ferryland plantation, a daunting task but with a strength that defies a stalwart man, she digs in and prospers, becoming the first entrepreneur of Newfoundland.

Review
by Eileen Charbonneau
Pillars of Avalon is a creative retelling of Newfoundland’s first First Couple: Lord David Kirke and his Lady Sara. Their story traverses the turbulent times in both the Old and New Worlds, from 1628-1675. Although their marriage is a joining of estates, it proves to be a love match as the blustery-hot-headed wine merchant turned Lord governor teams with his clever and resourceful “Twig.” The Kirkes go in and out of favor with Charles I and remain Anglican Royalists during the English civil war. But their hearts and destinies are in the Avalon peninsula of Newfoundland. Details of life in the 17th century abound, from a rollicking wedding night to dress, drink and child-rearing traditions, to the icebergs of the North Atlantic. Wonderful characterizations and exciting action makes this historical fiction in the tradition of Thomas B. Costain.